Leaving the car on the drive for 4 months..

[Vince70]

My father has just bought a new old volvo for the winter months and has an absolutely mint condition low mileage E36 BMW automatic compact but space is an issue so I said he could park it up on my drive and leave it parked up for the next 4/5 months.

 

When it's off the road I want to make sure it stays in the same condition so I was thinking of putting a coat of wax on the car and just leaving it on there without rubbing it off till March/April then put a thin layer of grease under the wheel arches and sills then pump the tyres up to around 45psi and put one of those dehumidifier things from pound land inside and maybe just start it up once every couple of weeks and go through the gears on the auto box and chock up the rear wheels and leave the handbrake off..

Plus I also changed the antifreeze last year with a decent amount of concentrated stuff so hopefully no blown core plugs or corrosion in the engine.

 

I just wondered Is there anything else I should check to make sure it will stay in tip top condition as I wouldn't want to see it getting neglected...

[Craig the Princess]

Take the battery off an keep it somewhere warm over the winter?

[hairnet]

leave it as is wax it dont put a cover on it and move it about on the drive once a week

[Pillock]

Take it round the block every week on a dry day if it's going to still be taxed and insured, don't cover it but a coat of wax won't do any harm. A mile or two a week will work out cheaper than dehumidifiers, axle stands etc.

Wouldn't bother with wheelarch grease, unless it rains upwards they'll stay dry. Same with the sills really unless there's already broken paint and rust blebs, rainwater should just run off them.

[dollywobbler]

I'm going to disagree with starting it too often. You'll never get the oil warm so it might be better to just leave it alone. That just leaves the oil full of condensation. Four months isn't that long for a car really. I've known folk leave them a lot longer!

I would get the doors open on any sunny day though and either disconnect the battery or get a charger on it every now and then. Higher tyre pressure very sensible but do remember to drop them again!

[captain_70s]

My long term storage plan for my car has been to shove it to the far end of the drive and ignore it for 6 months... Still rolls, has pumped up tyres and enough electricity to move it on the starter, it would start if the petrol cap hadn't seized on...

I used to try and start my 1300 up on a regular basis when I wasn't using it often but that just seemed to kill the battery and running the thing cold and letting it idle up to temp probably isn't too smart.

 

No point in doing the underbody stuff, if it won't be seeing road grit or any use over winter it's not going to rust. Even my derelict Triumph living 100 yards from the sea isn't rusting aside from the bits that were already crusty when it failed it's MOT. Just clean it regularly to make sure it doesn't get a build up of bird crap.

[mrbenn]

4 months should be no issue. Lots of good advice above.

 

IMHO: take it for a decent run (at least 20 miles) on a dry day. Park it up in neutral (Park for autos) with handbrake off if parked on the flat then switch it off. Don't keep starting it up, you'll fill the exhaust with condensation and the oil won't get hot.

 

Make sure its clean before you stop using it, wipe off any bird crap it attracts.

 

Take the battery indoors to charge it or, even better, connect a smart charger to it.

 

Put some extra air in the tyres to stop then flat-spotting.

 

If it gets damp inside open the doors on a dry day to air it out.

 

In the spring: check tyres and fluids, drive.

[mercrocker]

If its possible to remove any floor covering I would do so - it guards against the possibility of trapping water from any leak that isn't apparent in normal use/storage. Plus one on the not starting up - I would never start a car up unless I knew it was going to get fully up to temp. I turn all my engines over weekly but that may not be necessary with modern stuff - it guards against condensation forming on any un-lubricated internals. I always leave handbrakes off as well. Any opportunity to get air circulating inside the car, boot and engine bay wouldn't hurt either.....

[Taff]

4 months should be no issue. Lots of good advice above.

 

IMHO: take it for a decent run (at least 20 miles) on a dry day. Park it up in neutral (Park for autos) with handbrake off if parked on the flat then switch it off. Don't keep starting it up, you'll fill the exhaust with condensation and the oil won't get hot.

 

Make sure its clean before you stop using it, wipe off any bird crap it attracts.

 

Take the battery indoors to charge it or, even better, connect a smart charger to it.

 

Put some extra air in the tyres to stop then flat-spotting.

 

If it gets damp inside open the doors on a dry day to air it out.

 

In the spring: check tyres and fluids, drive.

 

combine this with pillocks advice, mate.

[Asimo]

Make sure tank is full of fuel, charge battery occasionally, don't run engine, don't leave handbrake on.

Don't leave windows open.

 

All will be well in the spring.

[bigfella2]

If you do take it out for a run, turn the air con on, if it has it.

[PiperCub]

As above, definately handbrake off, battery out if poss and don't run it more than once a month at most as you'll do more harm than good. Some preservative in the fuel is a good idea but not essential.

Wouldn't bother axle-standing it, just put 50psi in the tyres and push it forward or backwards every few weeks so a different part of the tyre is loaded-up so to speak. 

[barefoot]

Interesting stuff about not starting it regularly.

I fire up my t2 over the winter and drive it up and down the cul de sac for twenty minutes or so, using first second, reverse and the bakes and steering.

Curious to know if the team think that does any good or not?

[dollywobbler]

I think aircooled engines are possibly a bit more forgiving, because you haven't got to warm up a load of water as well. It's hard to get the oil warm without any load though, and a pootle around the cul-de-sac probably isn't going to load it up very much.

 

Easy to check if there's a problem. If the oil cap suddenly starts looking all mayo-ish, then you're not doing much good. I've certainly had this on the 2CV if I've just been moving it about to work on or whatever. 

[steveo3002]

you would scratch /mark the paint taking off the old left on wax that now has 4 months grit and grim stuck in it

 

wash and wax the car fully , park up with handbrake off and wheels choked and thats about it

 

dont bother starting the car because all it does it fill the oil and exhuast up with condensation , it will be fine for 4 months , if you do want to start it then take it for a good drive and run it until its all nice and hot

 

check it as and when for bird poop  

[garethj]

Sell it to someone on here who will spend 3 months lavishing money on it then get bored, allowing you to buy it back for far less than you sold it for.

[derskine]

Leave the handbrake off!!

[00833827]

get an old paint rolling tray, fill it with cat litter and leave it on the back seat- this will absorb any moisture in the cabin

[mercrocker]

Interesting stuff about not starting it regularly.

I fire up my t2 over the winter and drive it up and down the cul de sac for twenty minutes or so, using first second, reverse and the bakes and steering.

Curious to know if the team think that does any good or not?

I do this in my T25 which is water cooled. A twenty minute run around the farm where its kept brings the temp gauge up to normal by which time the heater is blowing hot, the rad is hot and everything is pretty much as it would be on good road run. I think that your aircooled one should have got up to oil temp by that time....

 

I do this every fortnight - its also a good idea to put juice through all the electrical circuits, not least because you might discover a blown headlight before the day of the MOT (as I did this afternoon...)

 

Van has had this regime for about three years now between November and March, never has any issues relating to being off the road come the Spring.

[Vince70]

Cheers guys for all the help..

 

It looks like I've been doing things wrong all this time as I also have my old my Z3 which has been sitting about for a few months now in my garage and I've been starting it up once a fortnight and letting it get up to temperature.

 

Tomorrow I will get the battery off and mothball that motor properly also till April.. Now I know why the exhaust rusted out last winter.

 

It's now looks like a bloody bmw dealership here circa 1997 with the two compacts and a Z3 and I keep browsing eBay for more motors lol.

[I_am_Diesel]

Don't put grease anywhere near the paintwork. I bought an MG Metro off some geezer a few years ago and he decided to protect the sills with grease which reacted with the paint, softened it and it started peeling off. I didn't like the car and sold it later at a loss.

[Timewaster]

I found 4 months turns into 4 years very easily....

[Des]

Park on long grass as this will keep the floorpans insulated from the weather, an old mattress placed on the bonnet, roof will soak up any damp or a tarp out of a skip is good as it will be softened from use and thus not so harsh on the paintwork and the cat piss and brick dust will keep it from contacting, pour bleach all over it to neutralise acid rain, hang a sock stuffed with garlic and findus crispy pancakes to ward off evil spirits, If you decide to run the engine on occasion, redline the fucker from the off to ensure it warms up thoroughly, shut a cat inside to keep mice out and remember to lock up so you don't have to evict a tramp come spring.

[Dick Cheeseburger]

Check the cabin regularly for water ingress. Any, I mean any, getting into an unheated cabin with no ventilation is going to provide your interior with a lavish covering of mould in places which will surprise you. Been there, currently cleaning it up.

[Split_Pin]

+1 on disconnecting the battery as if you let it run flat for long periods its never the same again. I am lucky enough to have a garage so no damp issues. Also agree with not starting it up. I left my Astra for 2 years and it started right up and went for its MOT.

 

My next door neighbour's son always has assorted Japanese cars lying on the driveway and they often sit untouched for years before he just starts them right up again and uses them.

[warren t claim]

FFS it's only four months! Just leave it alone on the driveway and have a booster pack handy in April.

[oldcars]

Park on long grass as this will keep the floorpans insulated from the weather, an old mattress placed on the bonnet, roof will soak up any damp or a tarp out of a skip is good as it will be softened from use and thus not so harsh on the paintwork and the cat piss and brick dust will keep it from contacting, pour bleach all over it to neutralise acid rain, hang a sock stuffed with garlic and findus crispy pancakes to ward off evil spirits, If you decide to run the engine on occasion, redline the fucker from the off to ensure it warms up thoroughly, shut a cat inside to keep mice out and remember to lock up so you don't have to evict a tramp come spring.

Total rubbish, i meant EVERYONE knows  it has to be a Findus Fishfinger, crispy pancakes have been known to react badly with snow and etch the paint 

[worldofceri]

I would have thought rigging up one of those solar trickle chargers would be a better idea than taking the battery out then having to find the code for the radio and re-tune all the presets in April.

 

Also, what Mr. Claim said.

[Skizzer]

FFS it's only four months and an E36 Compact! Just leave it alone on the driveway and have a booster pack handy in April.

 

EFA - you missed a bit, Warren. 

 

Just joshing, each to his own.  Lots of useful advice on here, that I've mostly been ignoring my entire life and am now feeling guilty about.